


your heart is the only place that i call home

by ohprongs



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: AU, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Human AU, M/M, Pining, florist!ragnor, heart eyes, my obsession with em dashes reaches a peak in this fic, though on reading back there's less fake dating than there probably should be, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-30 02:26:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12098667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohprongs/pseuds/ohprongs
Summary: or, the ‘i needed a date for my sister’s wedding and i asked you to go with me as a friend but everyone else thinks it’s real so we’re pretending we’re actually dating’ au





	your heart is the only place that i call home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SalazarTipton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalazarTipton/gifts).



> for [edin](http://achilleanragnor.tumblr.com), who is a shining star in my life. im so grateful we're friends and i hope u enjoy this!! happy birthday!! ily boo <3
> 
> also lowkey for [ceci](http://daddariossmile.tumblr.com), who took the words i threw at her and turned it into a coherent plot. i wouldnt have been able to do this w/o u <3
> 
> aLSO for #[shaumondays](http://shadowhuntersaumondays.tumblr.com)' latest prompt, fake dating.
> 
> title from _heartlines_ by florence + the machine

In all their years of friendship, one of the things Magnus has never been able to get over is how much Ragnor swears when he’s driving. For someone who is usually so dry and sardonic, he has the mouth of a —

“Motherfucker,” Ragnor groans, “get your fucking arse out the fucking — thank you!”

Well.

Magnus watches amusedly. “Language,” he chides, then dodges out of the way of an old invoice Ragnor throws at him.

“Hipster dickhead. If only those fake fucking glasses helped him see to get out the way when I’m trying to park the fucking van —“

Laughing, Magnus opens the door where he’s riding shotgun and hops down onto the sidewalk outside the hotel. Isabelle and Maia’s wedding reception is being held on the rooftop of The Seraphim Hotel in Williamsburg, and Magnus is giving Ragnor a hand with the flowers. He feels kind of bad not helping out, really, since it was him who got Ragnor involved in the first place.

It must have been half a year ago and Magnus had been meeting Alec for coffee in their favourite cafe, a cosy little nook they’d found while they were students, which was currently crowded with people taking shelter from the icy New York winter. 

Alec had turned up half an hour late, hands clutching at overflowing shopping bags and the scarf Magnus had gifted him for Christmas the year before wrapped haphazardly around his neck. His nose had been an adorable shade of red and Magnus tried to ignore the tingles he felt when he passed over the hot chocolate he’d ordered for Alec.

Alec had missed his train because he’d been on the phone to his sister — apparently, the florist who was meant to be doing Isabelle’s wedding, one of their mother’s friends, had pulled out when she found out Isabelle was marrying another woman. Alec seemed bemused when he recounted that Maryse Lightwood had given the friend what for, but, regardless, it didn’t do anything to rectify the situation and Isabelle and Maia were still without a florist. 

Alec seemed so upset on his sister’s behalf — and Magnus, fond of both brides, couldn’t stand to see their wedding ruined by one homophobic bigot — that Magnus couldn’t sit by and do nothing. He’d called Ragnor, who owned the English Country Garden florists, and cashed in stealthily earned blackmail material until Ragnor had agreed to help out.

As it is, Magnus slides open the side door of the van and leans in to start pulling out the trays of flowers. The decorative garlands have already been made and they just need to set up on the rooftop where the wedding ceremony is taking place, but there’s too much for Ragnor to carry up on his own.

Ragnor comes around to help him and together they slide out the first crate of flowers. Magnus, walking backwards towards the hotel, is concentrating more on not tripping over than the people around them, so it takes Ragnor coughing rather unsubtly for him to look up.

“Magnus,” a voice says, full of relief, and Magnus looks over to find Alec hurrying over to them. 

He’s wearing a teal blue vest over a smart white button down, paired with black tailored pants and shiny black shoes. His hair is a little windswept and he’s more flustered than Magnus has ever really seen him, but, then again, he is set on making sure his baby sister’s wedding day goes off without a hitch.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Alec says. He takes a step closer to the flowers, hands hovering over them. “Can I do anything to help?”

Magnus shakes his head. “Watch your clothes,” he warns quickly. “We’ve got it under control, I promise, Alexander.”

Alec smiles gratefully at him, and he’s just about to say something else when Ragnor speaks up, voice full of laughter.

“Hey,” Ragnor says, looking at Magnus with a twinkle in his eye, “aren’t you gonna introduce me to your boyfriend?”

Oh, yeah. And there’s _that_.

∞

“I did a bad thing,” is the first thing Alec says when he opens the door to let Magnus into his apartment.

Magnus raises an eyebrow, handing Alec the bottle of white wine he’s carrying and stepping over the threshold. Alec moves back to let Magnus in, then closes the door while Magnus takes his coat and shoes off.

“What did you do, exactly?” Magnus asks, a smile playing around his lips.

Alec sighs. “I saw my sister today,” he begins, fiddling with the label on the bottle of wine, “and I kind of —“ 

When nothing more is forthcoming, Magnus can’t help his expectant expression, tipping his head in Alec’s direction. “You kind of…?”

“I told her I have a date for the wedding,” Alec says, groaning. 

Magnus laughs loudly and makes his way into the living room of Alec’s apartment. He settles on the couch in his usual spot while Alec heads on to the kitchen. Something bubbling away on the stove smells amazing and Magnus can’t wait to eat. 

They do this, sometimes, these dinners-that-aren’t-quite-dates. He tells himself it’s all good, because he often goes round to Cat’s or Dot’s for dinner, and he and Raphael have a regular haunt they’ve been to so many times they’re on a first name basis with the wait staff. But even though those evenings warm Magnus inside and he comes away glowing and full of love for his friends, it’s never quite the same as it is with Alec.

Magnus tries to ignore the fact that that’s down to his massive crush on the guy. It’s — it’s fine. Alec doesn’t like him like that or he would have said — his blunt, yet often endearing honesty is one of the things Magnus most admires about Alec, and the fact that they’ve been friends since college and Alec has never once seriously indicated that he likes Magnus like that is —

Yeah. It’s fine.

Magnus knows when he’s too much for people and he doesn’t want to open himself up to that kind of rejection.

“What happened?” Magnus asks, when Alec returns to the living room with two wine glasses. He hands one to Magnus and settles beside him on the couch.

Alec scrunches his face up. “She keeps saying how she doesn’t want me to be the only one at the wedding without a plus one and mentioning these guys that she works with who are, I don’t know, cute and nice, or whatever. And when I saw her today she kept prodding and I just kind of snapped.” He rolls his eyes. “I know she means well and she just doesn’t want me to be alone but…” Alec trails off. His big hazel eyes regard Magnus keenly and then he looks away. “So, I lied and told her I had a date. Which I don’t.”

Magnus hums, still smiling. “Can’t you just wait a couple of weeks and then tell her it fell through, that the guy was busy?” he asks, sipping his wine.

Alec’s eyes light up almost comically and then he slumps back against the couch dejectedly. “Then she’d just offer to set me up with someone else, or tell me to ask…” he trails off, cheeks glowing pink. 

Magnus doesn’t push it, but he is intrigued about who Isabelle would suggest Alec should ask. Alec’s eyes meet Magnus’. 

“You’re laughing at me,” Alec accuses, groaning dramatically.

Magnus shrugs with a smile. He can’t deny it. 

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Magnus says tentatively, after a beat, “but what’s wrong with the guys Izzy suggests?”

Alec doesn’t answer for a moment. He swills his wine around the glass then takes a thoughtful sip. 

“Nothing,” he admits finally. Then he inhales deeply and turns to look at Magnus. “It’s just that — well. Okay. So, Izzy knows that I like someone. And they’re not him.”

“Oh,” Magnus manages, and the rest of what Alec continues to say gets lost in a haze of sound. His stomach squeezes tightly and the familiar, unpleasant weight of rejection settles on his chest and presses down painfully on his heart.

There’s a reason why he and Alec never have this conversation, the talk about crushes, and now Magnus regrets ever changing the subject when Alec had tried to bring it up in the past. Maybe it wouldn’t have hurt so much if it had happened before Magnus had fallen so deeply for him.

Ever the showman, Magnus pulls himself together and plasters on a smile.

“Well, why don’t you ask him to go with you?” he says, ignoring the pinpricks each word leaves on his heart.

Alec watches him for a moment, then looks away. His jaw clenches and then he looks back to Magnus. 

“Will you go to the wedding with me?” Alec asks. 

Magnus’ can’t help staring dumbly at Alec, uncharacteristically speechless. 

That can’t mean what it sounds like it means. He thought he could deal with the pain of liking someone who liked someone else, but Alec actually asking Magnus to go with him when he —

Magnus blinks five times before Alec clears his throat, starting to wring his hands in his lap. 

“As friends,” Alec adds, sounding a little hopeless, “if you want.”

As if Magnus needed reminding. He didn’t know hearing one little word could ache like that.

The only thing that Magnus can think to say is, “But I’m already going to the wedding.”

Alec’s eyebrows knit together in confusion and then his expression clears. One side of his mouth quirks up. 

“Yeah, of course,” he says. Something hollow and hurting opens up inside Magnus at Alec’s tone. “Forget it. It was a dumb idea.”

“No,” Magnus says. “It’s not.”

It is. 

Alec is one of his best friends. They stand by each other, and Alec is one of the few people Magnus trusts enough to open up completely to, and Magnus knows their relationship is solid enough that he can call Alec out when he’s being an ass, and sometimes it takes Magnus a good five minutes before he can even speak because he’s so breathless with laughter at one of Alec’s latest stories, and maybe Alec is the loveliest person Magnus knows but —

But that’s precisely why Magnus doesn’t want to throw it away. Sure, maybe Alec seems like he’s flirting sometimes, and, sure, maybe Alec curls up with his head in Magnus’ lap when they’re watching movies together, but that’s just Alec and it doesn’t _mean_ anything. 

Magnus respects that Alec doesn’t feel the same, which is why he’s never said anything or asked Alec on a date. He doesn’t want to lose Alec as a friend, so he’d rather suffer in silence — and, _yes_ , he’s aware Ragnor and Cat think he’s an idiot, thank you very much. 

And while _this_ — pretending to be Alec’s boyfriend for a day and getting to hold his hand and be close to him and have him look at Magnus like he’s the whole world — could be the most monumentally stupid thing Magnus has ever agreed to do —

He’s also unfairly excited about the prospect. Who knew he had such a masochistic streak?

Alec stares at him. “What?”

“I’ll go with you,” Magnus says, more convinced with every word. Alec is his friend and Alec is in need. It’s only polite, really. “I’ll be your plus one.”

A small smile appears on Alec’s face, then he hides it behind his hand on the pretext of rubbing his jaw. “I mean, are you sure?” he says.

“Yeah,” Magnus says, managing to smile himself. “What could go wrong?”

∞

“Hey,” Ragnor says, looking at Magnus with a twinkle in his eye, “aren’t you gonna introduce me to your boyfriend?”

Magnus throws him the mightiest glare he can manage and then turns to Alec, heaving a world-weary sigh. “Alec, this is Ragnor, pain in my ass and oldest friend.” He looks at Ragnor, gesturing to Alec. “This is Alec, the brother of one of the brides.”

“We spoke on the phone,” Ragnor says, grinning at Magnus before holding his hand out to Alec. Alec shakes it, smiling slightly.

“I think I’ve seen you before, actually,” he says, “but it’s nice to meet you properly. Magnus talks about you a lot.”

“Oh, I’m flattered,” Ragnor says, turning to Magnus with a gleeful expression. “And, you know, I’ve heard so much about you, too. In fact, weren’t you telling me just the other day, Magnus, that Alec —”

“Alec,” Magnus interrupts loudly, “can you get the door, please?”

Alec glances between them with an amused smile and then backs away from them, heading towards the hotel. Magnus glares at Ragnor again.

“Stop it,” he hisses. “Today has to go perfectly and you’re ruining it.”

“The only thing that will ruin today is watching you get hurt,” Ragnor says, all trace of teasing gone from his voice. They start walking towards the hotel, balancing the flowers between them. “Did you think about what happens afterwards?”

Magnus frowns, but they’re too close to Alec to continue the conversation, so it waits until they’ve deposited one of the crates in the lobby and are heading back to the van for another.

“What do you mean?” Magnus asks, leaning against the side of the van.

Ragnor sighs, a caring frown on his face. “Alec’s whole family is here, and lots of your mutual friends, too,” Ragnor says. “They know how close you are — do you think they’re going to believe you two just called it off after the wedding?”

Magnus clenches his jaw and busies himself with picking up the bridesmaids’ bouquets. He hadn’t thought of that, and just imagining it now is making his stomach turn over. He thumbs gently at one of the flowers. 

“I know what I’m doing,” Magnus says, even though he’s not sure he does.

Ragnor looks at him for a long moment. “Okay,” he says finally, shrugging. “You’re old enough to make your own bad decisions. And stop messing up my flowers. I worked hard on those.” Magnus sends him a small smile. “Come on. Help me with this crate.”

Together, they manoeuvre all the flowers into the hotel lobby. Alec has commandeered them a luggage cart to load the crates on and they stack the boxes carefully, ensuring none of the flowers get squashed. The three of them step into the elevator, Ragnor pushing the cart, and Alec presses two buttons, one for the rooftop and one for the fifth floor.

“I’ll let Izzy and Maia know the flowers are here and meet you up there,” Alec says, “unless you don’t need any help?”

Ragnor adjusts one of the blooms with a discerning frown as he speaks. “I should be alright setting up on my own,” he says. “The wedding’s at twelve, right?” Alec nods. “Okay. I’ll give Magnus a call if I need help.”

“Wonderful,” Magnus says flatly.

Ragnor laughs. “Because I assume you’ll be with Alec,” he explains, raising an eyebrow at Magnus. 

Magnus tries to keep his expression blank, but inside he’s wondering if it might be possible to suffocate Ragnor by shoving his face into the box of flowers nearest to him, and how much offence Maia and Isabelle might take if he did so.

“Alexander,” Magnus says, breaking out of his murderous reverie and ignoring Ragnor entirely, “do you know if there’s somewhere I can get changed?”

Alec startles. “Are you not — I thought you were wearing that?”

Magnus glances down at his outfit. He supposes most people don’t wear dusky grey vests and fitted pants for everyday attire, but, in truth, he’d worn slightly older clothes when he knew he was going to be helping Ragnor out.

“No, I didn’t want to get pollen on my wedding suit, so it’s in a bag in the van.” He tuts, looking up at Alec with a teasing smile. “I’m offended you thought I was going to put in so little effort.”

Alec shrugs, a little smile on his lips. “Well, you look very nice, anyway,” he says. “You can change in my room, if you want.”

Ragnor badly covers his laugh with a cough and when the elevator jolts to a stop, Magnus elbows him and makes it look like he was just catching his balance.

“Sure,” Magnus says, flashing Alec a winning grin. “I’ll get my stuff and meet you back here.”

Alec nods, smiling back at him, and departs the elevator. As soon as the doors shut, Ragnor starts laughing, and Magnus slumps against the side of the elevator.

“See what I’m up against?” Magnus complains. “‘You look very nice anyway’, he’s so — stop laughing, you dickhead.”

Ragnor’s still chuckling as he says, “Magnus, I can’t believe I’ve sat through however many years of you waxing poetic over Alec and you never once mentioned that he likes you too.”

Magnus stills. “What? No, he doesn’t.”

Ragnor looks at Magnus, then sighs, world-weary. They arrive at the rooftop and the doors open. Magnus holds his arm out to stop them from closing while Ragnor wheels the luggage cart out.

“What do you mean?” Magnus asks as Ragnor leaves.

“What’s made you so certain Alec doesn’t have feelings for you?” Ragnor asks, carefully lifting the top box down from the cart.

Magnus frowns. “He’s never said anything,” he says.

Ragnor just laughs again. The last thing Magnus hears before the doors of the elevator close is Ragnor’s joyous tone. “Have you, my friend? Have you?” 

In the light of the revelation Ragnor’s words bring, when Magnus meets Alec at the elevators again with his suit bag, he tries to cast their interactions in a new mindset. Only, it doesn’t seem to make a difference, because for every argument Ragnor might make that Alec likes him, Magnus can think of a perfectly valid counter-argument:

Alec holds the door open to his room so Magnus can pass through because he’s polite. He laughs at Magnus’ terrible puns because he’s a loyal friend. His cheeks go a little pink when Magnus fixes his collar because it’s hot in the room.

They’re fine. Everything is totally normal.

Magnus changes into his three piece suit in the ensuite of Alec's room. The scent of Alec's cologne lingers in the bathroom it takes an embarrassingly long time for Magnus to pull himself together. He sweeps out of the ensuite when he's finished his hair and heads into the bedroom. Alec is lounging on the bed, flicking through TV channels disinterestedly.

"Wow," he breathes, almost as if it was unintentional, when he looks up and sees Magnus.

"Thank you," Magnus smiles. He perches on the edge of the bed and bends down to slip one of his shoes on. “So,” Magnus says, as he starts tying his shoelaces, “we just started dating a couple of months ago and we’re taking things slow.”

Alec switches off the TV, all attention on Magnus, and hums in affirmation. “You asked me out first and were gonna go to The Hunter’s Moon for drinks, but it was closed, so we got take out instead. On the way back, it started raining, and I asked if I could kiss you.”

“Such a romantic,” Magnus teases, ignoring the way his heart constricts.

They’d worked out a cover story beforehand, agreeing it would be best to use moments that had actually happened and just embellish them with romantic details. Curled on Magnus’ couch, they’d had fun making up the stories they were going to tell, but underneath it all, it was slightly bittersweet.

“Only for you,” Alec says, and the way he’s looking at Magnus when Magnus glances over almost takes his breath away. Alec clears his throat. “And the reason we haven’t told any of our friends is?”

“We don’t want to put too much pressure on our relationship,” Magnus recites, “because if anything goes wrong, we want to be able to stay friends.”

Alec nods. “Okay, I think we’re good.”

“Ready to watch your sister get married?” Magnus asks, straightening his tie in the mirror across from the bed.

Alec’s smile brightens in his reflection. “Yeah,” he says. “Let’s do this.”

∞

The wedding goes beautifully. The hotel’s rooftop provides a breath-taking view over the city as a backdrop for the ceremony and the arch of flowers over the end of the aisle brings perfect pops of colour from blue cornflowers and ivory lilies. Magnus must find Ragnor amongst the crowd and congratulate him.

Both brides look stunning, radiating happiness as they profess their love for each other in front of all their closest family and friends. Isabelle cries at one point and Magnus is fairly sure Maia does, too, even though she might not admit it.

After the ceremony is over, they spend about an hour up on the roof having photographs. Magnus isn’t ashamed to admit he spends a while staring at Alec in his suit as they wait for the wedding party pictures to be taken. 

Then they get photos all together, both a big crowd and in small groups. Magnus is in the middle of a conversation with Maia when Isabelle squeals and pulls him and Alec together. She makes them take couples pictures together, which is all well and good except it means Alec wrapping his arms around him and standing so close together he can feel Alec’s breath ghosting over the shell of his ear which —

It’s a lot. 

Alec is looking at him with such fondness in his gaze it steals his breath. It’s a moment before Magnus realises that if he tilted his head up, just slightly, he’d be able to kiss Alec, and he buries the thought away inside him with terrible yearning.

“Magnus —” 

“Family photo!” Isabelle says excitedly, breaking the moment between them. Isabelle and Maia stand in the middle, with Jace and Simon on either side of them. Maryse, Luke, Alec and Magnus form a row behind them, and Max crouches in the middle of the two girls. “Smile!”

The reception takes place in one of the hotel’s luxurious, modern function rooms. Even though Alec is sitting at the top table and Magnus is sat with some of the other guests — Meliorn and Clary are on his table, and it’s good to catch up with them — Alec keeps flitting over to see him. In fact, whenever Alec hasn’t been needed to help run the show, he’s been with Magnus.

It’s easy to convince himself it's just because they need to keep up the act. Alec has been very good at playing the boyfriend role — he takes Magnus’ hand in his and trails his thumb over Magnus’ wrist, listens to his stories with rapture, flirts teasingly and tops up Magnus’ champagne flute when it’s running low.

They’d agreed no PDA, but Alec is so damn affectionate. It makes something warm and happy burst in Magnus’ chest, something which soon cools and turns heavy when he remembers Alec is just acting to keep up appearances.

Magnus should have listened to his gut. This probably wasn't the greatest idea he's ever had.

He's is catching up with Luke when the music starts up for Maia and Isabelle to have their first dance. The room has been transformed, all the tables and chairs pushed to one end to allow for a magnificent dance floor at the top of the hall, and the two women make their way to the floor to the whoops and cheers of their loved ones.

The band strike up with a gorgeous, soulful love song as Maia and Isabelle take each other in their arms and start dancing slowly. Magnus can’t help smiling as he watches them, so happy that they’ve both found each other and get to have this wonderful day together.

He can see other couples around the room holding hands and leaning into each other as they watch the two women dance. The steady hum of the violin and twinkling of the piano form a soundtrack that completes the romantic atmosphere in the room, and Magnus finds his eyes seeking out one person amongst it all.

He finds Alec across the circle, watching Isabelle and Maia dance with a smile that’s bursting with pride. The spotlights cast on the dance floor to illuminate the brides occasionally catch on Alec, casting him in planes of light that make his eyes shine. Not for the first time, Magnus thinks that Alec is so very beautiful.

When the song draws to a close, Maia and Izzy share a kiss, all the guests cheering and clapping. Then, Maia’s parents lead the way onto the dance floor and, soon afterwards, Maryse and Luke start dancing themselves. This opens the floor up to a flood of guests, and Magnus quite happily takes Clary’s hand and follows her, spinning her into hold and beginning to sway.

After a few pop numbers, the band introduces another smooth, slow song, and Clary giggles in Magnus ear.

“I think there’s someone waiting to steal you away,” she says, and Magnus turns in the direction she’s looking to find Alec watching them with a small smile. Magnus lifts his hand and beckons Alec closer.

Alec rolls his eyes affectionately and Clary leaves them wordlessly. 

“You don’t have to,” is the first thing Alec says.

“A little dancing never hurt anyone,” Magnus says, as he gathers Alec into his arms, trying to hide how much he's aching for this to be real. Alec smiles and settles his hands on Magnus’ waist, which makes butterflies flutter in Magnus' tummy. “Besides, it’s good for the soul.”

Alec just hums and tips his head gently sideways, until their faces are resting cheek to cheek. Magnus’ heart trips up, the gesture is so tender and intimate, and, even if it is just for show, he hugs Alec closer all the same.

“It was probably a good thing the dancing started,” Alec muses, his voice low and gentle so only Magnus can hear. “Mom’s so tipsy but she keeps denying it. She was asking me all these questions about how she should propose to Luke, but she can’t whisper for shit and he was sitting right next to her.”

Magnus laughs softly. “Are you the man to go to for proposal advice, then?” he asks, ignoring the slight twinge of his heart at the words. Over Alec’s shoulder, Magnus can see Ragnor watching them with a knowing smile.

Alec snorts. “No,” he says. His fingers trail idly across Magnus’ waist. “I can’t even tell the guy I like that I like him.”

That brings Magnus back down to earth with a bump and he stiffens slightly in Alec’s hold. Alec, of course, notices, and pulls back from him.

“Are you okay?” Alec asks.

“Fine,” Magnus replies, sounding unconvincing even to his own ears. “I might just go and get a drink. Do you want one?”

Alec shakes his head, narrowing his eyes slightly. He can always tell when Magnus isn’t okay, but Magnus ignores Alec’s questioning gaze. He turns on his heel, about to head to the bar, and almost crashes into Isabelle.

“Oh, sorry,” she says, giggling. She rights herself by clutching onto one of Magnus’ arms and one of Alec’s, and then looks between the two of them. “I,” she begins, holding up one finger and looking seriously at Magnus, “am so glad that my big brother finally told you.”

Magnus stops breathing temporarily and shuffles on his feet while he collects himself. Beside him, Alec has gone very still and turns to look at his sister with wide eyes. 

“Told me?” Magnus asks with a strained smile.

“That he likes you,” Isabelle says, as if it’s obvious. 

“What?” Magnus asks faintly, but he’s fairly sure it gets swallowed up by Ragnor patting him on the shoulder and announcing his arrival.

“God, tell me about it, my dear. It feels like I’ve been listening to Magnus pine over Alec for centuries.”

Magnus is, for once, speechless. His brain is still stuck on that _he likes you_ , and the way Isabelle had said it, like she was confirming that the sky is blue or that drinking premium tequila leads to bad choices.

“They’re the worst,” Isabelle agrees affectionately. She squeezes Alec’s arm. “I’m just glad the two of you are happy,” she says, seemingly not realising the bombshell that she and Ragnor have just dropped on Magnus and Alec’s relationship. 

Alec is staring at Magnus as if he’s never seen him before, and Magnus’ gaze keeps flitting between the rings on his hands and Alec’s face.

Ragnor puts a hand on Isabelle’s arm. “What did you and Maia think of the bouquets?” he asks, steering Isabelle away from the pair of them with a pointed look at Magnus.

Magnus blinks several times and then pinches his wrist, just once, to make sure he’s not dreaming.

“You —” Alec breaks off, pressing his lips together. His brow crinkles cutely. “You were pining over me?”

“Yeah. Well, no, I wouldn’t call it _pining_ — Ragnor exaggerates —” Magnus stumbles uncharacteristically on his words, his brain hurrying along in the wake of his heart, which is singing rather exuberantly at the fact that Alec _likes him_.

He feels weightless, like he’s floating on air. When he starts smiling, he finds, quite suddenly, that he can’t stop.

“You like me?” Magnus asks Alec, the words a revelation.

“Yeah, I really fucking like you, Magnus,” Alec says, laughing a little self-consciously. “I…thought you knew.”

Magnus tries not to gape. “What about this situation makes you think I knew?”

Alec laughs again, smiling something beautiful. “You mean it wasn’t obvious from the fact that you told me to ask the guy I liked to Izzy’s wedding and I asked you?” he says, and Magnus’ first instinct is to say _no,_ but then —

Well, _yes_. He _had_ thought that. But he’d also thought it so out of the realm of possibility he’d discarded it without giving it a second thought.

“I didn’t think you could have meant it like that,” Magnus admits truthfully. 

Alec frowns a little. “Why not?”

Magnus’ reaches out, running his fingertips lightly over Alec’s teal vest. Alec catches Magnus’ hand in his own, gaze fixed on Magnus’ face. 

“I thought you would have said something if you had feelings for me,” Magnus says. His voice softens. “You’re always so honest.”

The crease in Alec’s brow smoothes out and he smiles, but it’s sad around the edges. “And I thought _you_ would have said something,” Alec says. “You’re so confident and everything and I just — I don’t know.” He glances down at their joined hands and shrugs. “I thought if you actually saw me as more than a friend you would have asked me out by now, I guess.”

Magnus smiles ruefully. “I thought you weren’t interested. I didn’t want to flirt or ask you out and make things weird between us and end up pushing you away.”

“There is nothing you could do that would push me away,” Alec says softly, immediately. Overcome with emotion, Magnus reaches up his hand to cup Alec’s cheek. Alec leans into the touch and closes his eyes.

“I think we’re too similar, you know,” Alec says, the beginning of a smile blooming on his face. “I didn’t want to ruin anything by admitting how I felt if there was no chance you felt the same, either.”

Magnus smiles and shakes his head. Laughter bubbles up in his throat again. “What are we like?”

Alec hums and ducks his head, and Magnus can see he’s fighting off a smile too. After a moment of silence, they catch each other’s eye and both start laughing. It’s so cleansing, washing away any awkwardness or uncertainty from before. 

Magnus watches as Alec pulls himself together, but he can’t seem to stop smiling. Alec is so many different kinds of lovely that Magnus isn’t sure he can stand it.

“Hey,” Magnus says, stroking his thumb along Alec’s cheekbone, “you wouldn’t have ruined anything. I really fucking like you, too.”

Alec rolls his eyes affectionately. “Well, I know that _now_.” Then he flashes Magnus a blinding smile. “And I’m glad.”

Magnus beams at him. “Glad enough that you think you might wanna go on a date with me?”

“Yeah,” Alec says. Magnus closes his eyes, revelling in the moment, and when he opens them again Alec is smiling at him, bright eyed and radiating happiness. “I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on tumblr @[lightwoodlesbians](http://lightwoodlesbians.tumblr.com)!


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